Wall Colmonoy adds Desktop Metal Shop System
November 5, 2020
Wall Colmonoy Limited (UK), Pontardawe, Wales, UK, the European headquarters of the global powder and components manufacturer Wall Colmonoy, has purchased a Desktop Metal Shop System from UK-based Additive Manufacturing equipment reseller Tri-Tech 3D.
Desktop Metal’s Shop System was launched during Formnext 2019. The high speed, single-pass system was designed to introduce high-quality metal Binder Jetting to the market of machine shops and metal fabrication job shops, a global industry estimated to be worth nearly $180 billion.
The Shop System can be used to additively manufacture end-use metal parts for a variety of industries, including manufacturing, tooling, automotive, consumer, electronics and marine, with the quality, surface finish and tolerances needed to co-exist with machining.
Wall Colmonoy is reported to be the first company in the UK to purchase a Desktop Metal Shop System. Having been established as a materials engineering business for over eighty years, the company serves the aerospace, automotive, glass, oil & gas, mining, energy, and other industrial sectors. Its Pontardawe facility recently celebrated its fifty-year anniversary.
The company has seen a surge in requirements from existing and new customers for highly complex parts and tooling in recent years. With the Shop System, it will use Binder Jetting alongside sophisticated software to maximise its Additive Manufacturing efficiency and effectiveness.
Chris Weirman, Director of Technology at Wall Colmonoy Limited (UK), stated, “We identified the Desktop Metal Shop System as the ideal choice for our first step in the metal AM journey due to its speed, size and flexibility, plus the relationship between Desktop Metal and its UK reseller Tri-Tech 3D. This builds upon our knowledge of polymer 3D printing for complex investment-cast forms.”
The Shop System is already said to be allowing Wall Colmonoy to partner with several Additive Manufacturing customers. The company now supports the design, prototype, and product qualification of AM parts for customer-specific requirements, and can also develop solutions to overcome existing technical challenges.
